


The bet

by traumschwinge



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, Brother-Sister Relationships, F/M, Love/Hate, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romantic Comedy, Sisterly Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-29
Updated: 2013-12-29
Packaged: 2018-01-06 14:45:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1108095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traumschwinge/pseuds/traumschwinge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Upon meeting Charles for the first time, Erik is smitten. Too smitten perhaps, to simply go and talk to him. Instead, he talks to Raven who is not impressed. In fact, if Erik would never again meet Charles it would still be too soon. But sometimes, some things cannot be helped and she offers Erik a deal. If he manages to convince her that he could be a good boyfriend, she will give him Charles number--and maybe even a list of things her brother likes. Until he does, however, he is not ever to even try to contact Charles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The bet

**Author's Note:**

> There are so many firsts to this story for me that I don't have any idea of. Please bear with me.

"Okay, on a scale from one to Erik, how bad is it?" Raven is standing in front of the couch Charles is currently occupying—or at least Raven assumes that her brother is there somewhere, hidden beneath a heap of blankets and comforters he had dragged over from his bed. Hands at her hips and looking as accusing as she could—which is extremely accusing because she has a lot of practice and is awesome—she glares at the bundle which immediately snorts.

"Why is Erik the worst possible on your scale?" her brother asks out of the depths beneath the comforter.

Raven rolls his eyes. "Because you met him once and you're still mourning that he obviously isn't gay," she says. Though it isn't quite true, she doesn't feel bad about that. Charles should date someone nice. Not a shark trapped in a human body who clearly has some serious issues.

"It feels like I met him just yesterday," Charles sighs, his voice full of longing.

"Well, it has been three months ago," Raven snaps. She's not having that argument again.

"And he's gorgeous," Charles goes on, ignoring her. Okay, maybe they have to go over this. Again.

They had met Erik in a club on one of those occasions when they had actually gone out together instead of with a group of their friends each. Charles had spotted him first and had been staring at him so long that Raven had been convinced that the poor guy was crept out when he eventually came over to them. He hadn't been. In fact, he had started a conversation with, well, Raven. They had flirted for a while until he had invited her for a drink over at the bar. Charles hadn't been spared more than one glance from Erik. She hadn't gone home with him in the end, but that didn't help making matters between her and her brother better.

Charles had been angry with her for days.

That, however, was only the version of what happened as far as Charles knew.

In truth, Erik had asked her about Charles while they had waited for their drinks to arrive. Whether he was her boyfriend (“God, no, just my brother.”), gay (“Can't you tell from the way he's looking at you?”) and single (“Single and available. But only to humans, no sharks.”). By the time their drinks had arrived, they had already decided that they liked each other well enough to be friends. Dating was out of the question ever since he had started to ask her about Charles.

Raven sighs. “Okay, I get it, you're not over him yet,” she says, sounding a little exasperated. “What's wrong, Charles?” She sits down in front of Mount Comforters and searches for her brother's face somewhere inside.

“I saw you yesterday,” he wails, as if that would explain everything. Raven thinks about this for a moment, before she decides that this makes as much sense as actually liking Erik. Maybe her brother is finally going insane.

“You see me every day,” she deadpans in response.

Charles sniffles. “I saw you and Erik yesterday,” he elaborates after a long honk of his nose. Raven hopes that there are hankies in there. She's not going to wash Charles' stuff if there isn't. “I saw you having lunch together. Laughing.” He makes this sound like the worst breach of trust there ever was. “Raven, are you dating him?”

“Am I dating him?” Raven repeats, because this sounds so ridiculous. She can't deny she had been having lunch with Erik yesterday. But her dating Erik the Landshark Lehnsherr. It takes her some serious effort not to laugh at this idea. And be appalled by the mental images coming with it. “Charles, no, I'm not dating him.”

“Then why does he get to invite you for lunch?” Charles' miserable voice asks from somewhere in the cozy depths.

Well, that was the thing, wasn't it. She could tell him the truth, that they're friends and, well, that there's a reason why Erik's trying to act nice that's got nothing to do with her as a person, but that would only encourage Charles in his desire for that asshole. And if she would tell him the whole truth... goodness forbid, no, not ever.

“Do you expect me to say no to a free meal?” she finally settles for. There, nothing that sounds like they do this more often. Or rather every week at least once for the last three months. But of course, Charles is not satisfied with that answer.

“He had been waiting for you!” he accuses her, causing a small avalanche of one of the blankets.

She stares at him. “How do you... Are you stalking me?” she snaps because it's a welcome change of topic and she doesn't want to discuss her relationship to Erik Lehnsherr with him any further.

“Of course not,” Charles shoots back as if that was something he'd never do. “I just wanted to take you for lunch myself and then.. and there... and Erik...” He lets out a miserable, long sigh. “I wanted to go talk to him and see what he's been doing there,” Charles confesses in a low voice. Raven has to focus now to catch everything. “But then... oh, why does this have to happen... Raven, he was looking forward to treat you for lunch!” Another blow of his nose interrupted him. “I just couldn't make myself go and talk to him anymore.”

“But you didn't walk away,” she assumes, knowing for sure before the comforter mountain moves in a way that could be a nod. “You stayed to see if I would go with him and... wait, you said he was looking forward to it. Have you been looking into his mind?” The idea horrifies her. All the things he could stumble upon in there. Like the real reason why he asks her out for lunch at least once a week. Or why he even occasionally brings her flowers when they meet. She's fairly certain that her brother doesn't look into her mind—she'd made him promise when they had been kids and later, she had added some serious threats for his health to that promise to keep him out—and he usually didn't look into people's minds without permission anyway, but Erik Lehnsherr, even a blind non-telepath could tell, was another story entirely.

“Only a bit,” Charles groans. “He really likes you. He was thinking about asking you out.” Nothing new for Raven there, she had been asked out for this weekend and knew that she should be going because Erik did put some effort into their so-called _dates_. If it served his purpose, that ass could be a gentleman. Too bad for him that Raven didn't buy that shit from him. But she came out of this with free meals at fancy restaurants and invitations to all sort of things she actually likes and Erik genuinely hates like art exhibitions.

“So if you're still claiming that you and Erik aren't dating then I must assume you're either lying or a terrible person or both,” Charles wails. “Please don't make me come to your wedding, that would kill me.”

Raven rolls her eyes. “Really, Charles, don't be that dramatic,” she sighs. “It's not like I'm sleeping with your boyfriend- wait, that's it, right, you were still thinking that the next time you'd see him, you could somehow convince him to become your boyfriend and live happily ever after with him? Oh Charles.” She throws up her hands. “For all you know, he isn't even interested in men in general!”

“Well, but I also had no proof to assume otherwise,” Charles hisses.

“You mean, aside from the fact that he'd been hitting on me instead of you who was standing right next to me?” Raven snaps back at him. She wasn't even lying, although Erik had confessed to her later that he had been afraid to look at Charles and loose the ability of coherent thought and speech.

“He was thinking rather loudly that I had very kissable lips,” Charles snorts. Raven isn't sure if he's making that one up.

“Still, he asked me over to the bar for drinks and even if we're dating, it is none your business,” she snaps back at him without even thinking about what she's saying.

“So you are dating him,” he hisses.

“As I said, it's none of you goddamn business!” Raven wonders what she'd rather have him thinking. That she's dating the man of his dreams or the truth. They're probably both pretty bad. She can't even blame Charles for hating her for it. She knows that it was more or less love at first sight for her brother. But then again, it was love at first sight and she would be a horrible sister if she would let that landshark ruin her brother's life. Things were good as they are and she would rather be caught dead than changing things as they were. Let Charles believe she was dating Erik. That would make her claims that Erik was straight all the more convincing.

“Are you even in love with him?”

Charles question hits her somewhat off guard. “What?” she asks, dumbfounded.

“I want to know if you're really in love with him,” Charles repeats. “Or are you doing this just to spite me?” He sniffles at this last accusation.

“I-” Raven starts and then sighs. “Charles, I would never do such a thing to hurt you. You know that, don't you? I want you to be happy. But... there's things that are more important to me than you being temporarily miserable. I'm sure you will eventually get over him and find a nice guy who's perfect for you.” And who isn't Erik goes without saying in this.

There's a moment of silence, before Charles sighs, “I know, sorry, I... I'm just angry at you right now. You should have told me!...but then again, I don't suppose I'd want to know. I still don't and... oh Raven, you're dating again! That's so lovely. Or, well, should be, if it weren't him. Oh, god, I'm an awful brother. I'm sorry.”

“Charles,” Raven says, more softly now. “Stop babbling nonsense. You're the best brother a girl can have. Despite all your flaws.” She's smiling at him—or at least where she assumed him to be. “Should we do something together tonight or should I leave you alone?”

“Don't you have a date tonight?” Charles asks.

“I could always cancel for my favorite brother,” Raven answers as she sits down next to him and leans against Mount Comforter. “You just have to say the word.” She fishes her cell phone out from her pocket and waves it in front of him. “I'm sure he'll understand.”

“Raven, you don't have to, not for me at least, I'm sure you want to go,” Charles says.

Raven shakes her head. “No, I'd rather spent the evening with you.” She's already dialing Erik's number. “If you excuse me for a second, I'll be right back and you could order some pizza in the meantime.” She gets up again and wanders out of their living room for some privacy.

As soon as she's out of Charles range of hearing, she presses the call button. It doesn't take Erik long to answer. “Lehnsherr,” she hears him grumble.

“Hi, it's Raven,” she greets him in the slight hope to teach him to some manners just by repetition—which had been very fruitless up to now. “Listen, I have to cancel our date.”

“What? Why?” he growls. “Couldn't you tell me this sooner?”

“Listen, I had something more important coming up today,” she snaps back at him. “Did it ever occurred to you that I had some social life that isn't linked to you?” Raven takes a deep breath to calm herself before she goes on without ranting. “Erik, a good boyfriend would ask me what's wrong and he also would be very understanding.” She says that to make clear that she still thinks Erik is the worst boyfriend possible and that she wouldn't be caught dead falling for any of his schemes to make her believe otherwise.

She hears him sigh and knows that he's fighting with his temper. Probably, he's even debating to hang up on her. But then, he forces himself to ask, “What's the matter... darling? I hope you're okay.” A grin steals onto her face for making him say that and hearing just how much it had cost him to say that out loud. Maybe it was possible to teach him being a good boyfriend after all.

“It's Charles, I think we need some time with each other today,” she explains as matter of factly as she can.

“Charles?! Is he alright?” Erik immediately asks. “He isn't hurt or sick, is he?”

Raven rolls her eyes. This, amongst other things, is why she would never seriously be dating him. It was almost gross how he forgot about everything else as soon as she mentioned Charles. It could have been cute if the subject of his adoration hadn't been her brother. “You could at least act like you were interested in me as well,” she snaps at him. “It could be me who needed the private time with her brother because her boyfriend is a cranky, using asshole.”

“Well, are you?” he asks back, knowing her well enough that she wasn't.

“That's not the point,” she gave back.

“So you stand me up with two tickets to a damn modern play you wanted to see?” he grumbles. Let him grumble, she tells herself. He should have learned to deal with occasions like that log ago.

“I'll make it up to you, promise,” she whispers mock sweetly into the phone.

“Just cave and give me his number,” Erik grumble under his breath almost to low for her to catch. Raven decides that it's better to ignore that.

“Oh, and since I know you have been wondering, Charles's a little love sick, nothing to worry overmuch about,” she tells him and then hangs up before he's able to ask her about that.

Raven returned to Charles with her laptop and a selection of romantic comedy movies, trying to look not as smug as she felt right now. It would be no good to lead Charles into thinking she enjoyed standing up Erik. He assumes they were dating, Raven tells herself. She shouldn't be happy to have to cancel her date. But somehow, she isn't able to care enough.

When Charles eventually asks, she smiles at him and tells him that she's just glad he doesn't hate her for Erik. In a way, that's the truth.


End file.
